Dark Gifts 1: Silver and Gossamer
by LA Knight
Summary: Companion series to Dark Memories. Dimitri receives a package from Paris. 2-shot.
1. Silver Memories

**Dark Gifts**

**Silver Memories**

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Dimitri sat in his office, having just gotten off the phone. He'd been talking with a woman who wished to leave a stray wolf cub her daughter had found, injured and nearly dead beside its already dead mother, with him at his preserve. Of course he had agreed.

But that was not why he sat there still, his face in his hands, heart pounding, anguish threating to rise up and choke him nigh unto death. It was because of her. Skyler.

He longed for her with everything in him, longed to just see her, hear her voice, anything. His loneliness burned inside him, as surely hers must as well. Did she not miss him too? Or did she still see him as a male, and dangerous, predatory, to be considered a threat? Surely not, not after everything.

For surely... after the exchange of blood, and the gifts of scarlet cloak and wolf charm, and healing her burns from vampire blood and the dance at the Christmas party and...

He slammed a fist down onto the table, stopping the flood of desperate thoughts. Was he truly so desperate for his lifemate that he prattled on inside his own mind like an adolescent, human boy? He was beginning to sound like the little boy, Shellton- "Call me Shell"- the younger brother of the four women who were in charge of the incoming wolves at his preserve. They were French, but had relocated to the wilds of Russia, he didn't know why. Shell often babbled like Dimitri himself had been doing seconds before, whenever Shell was confronted by a beautiful girl. He _was_ only twelve.

But for himself, Dimitri, ruthless vampire hunter and Carpathian warrior, to babble like this about a girl, making excuses as to why Skyler should care for him, welcome him with open arms, never fear him... it was foolishness. She feared him, loathed him, surely. He didn't know how to change that, no matter how much he longed for it not to be so.

A hesitant knock at the door.

"Come in, Jade," he murmured softly, huffing a breath. Jade Waverly, one of the four women who knew who and what he was and worked here at the wolf preserve with their brother came in, holding a medium sized package. Shellton poked his head in after his oldest sister, chirping, "Hey, watcha doin' in here, yo?"

"Shell's been watching American television again. Something about... America's Best Dance Crew. Anyway, sir, you received a package in the mail from Paris. It's from Francesca del Ponce?" Jade lilted her voice to make it a question. She knew, as did her three sisters, that the del Ponce family's oldest daughter was important to him in some way. He'd explained it as "a prolonged betrothal." So for him to be receiving a package from the mother of said daughter, well...

"Thank you, Jade. You can go," he mumbled, focusing on the package. Had she touched it at all, his Skyler? As Jade shut the door behind her, he inhaled the fragrance that was uniquely his young lifemate's, and felt tears prick his eyes. She'd put this package together.

Opening it carefully, he saw a black leather case about an inch and a half by three inches, and something metalic ice blue was peaking out. There were headphones coiled beside it. There was also a small black book and two letters. One was written in Francesca del Ponce's hand. It only said,

_Skyler wished to send you a gift, since she enjoys the three you have given her. I, too, have sent you a gift, for you will be my son-in-law and I wish to welcome you to the family. I thought it the best gift I could give you._

_Sincerely,_

_Francesca_

He assumed the book was from Francesca, then. He pulled it out of the box and flipped it open, realizing as he did so that he held a photo album in his hand. All were pictures of his Skyler.

Skyler painting her toenails the same ice blue as his eyes. Skyler in a formal portrait, wearing the black wolf pendant with her beautiful, sapphire blue dress. Skyler and Tamara, her baby sister, baking cookies. Skyler playing on her electronic keyboard, strumming her harp, writing in a book, reading while lying on her stomach. Skyler asleep on her bed, holding a stuffed wolf with ice blue eyes.

His heart melted. Perhaps, just perhaps, she did not hate him.

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This is called _Silver Memories_ because photographs are taken using silver powder (or something, silver something. I forget how they explained it.) This will be followed by _Gossamer Song._


	2. Gossamer Song

**Dark Gifts**

**Gossamer Song**

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He had read Francesca's letter. He had scanned the photo album, feeling close to swooning with the sharp ache and desperate love welling up inside of him. For a moment, he had been forced to set the album down and dash the tears from his eyes. Truly, his lifemate's mother was a very wise woman, to know the perfect gift for him. A brief look at Skyler's life, something to see... and hadn't he thought just moments before the package had arrived that he wished he could only see her for a moment, hear her voice?

One out of two was not bad.

Then he remembered- the other letter! The small black leather case!

But... who were these things from? Gabriel, that buffoon? Another gift from Francesca? Or perhaps... from Skyler?

Lifting out the folded note with trembling hands, he caught a whiff of Skyler's scent again. Could it truly be...

Unfolding it, he found a letter, written in her elegant, flowing script:

_Dimitri,_

_I am trying to figure out this lifemate stuff. Like I said, it isn't you, it's me. I'm not like other girls. But I am going to try and figure something out that'll work for both of us. We can be friends, right?_

_Francesca said that something that might help you with this whole lifemate thing is some pictures. She said you'd want to see me, but were respecting my wishes for you to keep your distance for now. Thank you for that. Her gift to you was the photo album. Mine is this mp3 player. It's pretty modern, so if you need help figuring it out, send Francesca a thought. She knows how it works. I even got you a case and ear buds. I think you'll like what I put on it. It's to help you get to sleep during the day. I have my stuffed wolf. I wanted to make sure you had something._

_Skyler Rose Daratrazanoff_

Puzzled, but touched beyond words that she had thought about him, he lifted out the leather case and opened it. True enough, an mp3 player slid out. He knew what one was- Jade's sister Pearl and Shellton had them- and he knew how it worked. But why would she send him music? He was no great lover of it. What was this about?

Plugging in the head phones, he settled them in his ears and turned the little gadget on, hitting play.

Suddenly, a familiar, sweet and soft, beautiful voice filled his ears, as Skyler sang one of the songs from the Christmas celebration.

"_Christmas pipes, Christmas pipes  
Calling us home on Christmas night  
Call us from far, call us from near  
Oh play me your Christmas pipes  
_

_Christmas bells, Christmas bells  
Over the hills and over the dells  
Ringing out bright, ringing out clear  
Oh ring me your Christmas bells..."  
_

As her voice washed over him, bringing him peace for the first time since he'd returned to Russia, he felt tears of gratitude and joy brimming in his eyes. He had wished he could see her, and it had been granted him. He had wished he could hear her, and she had given him this gift. Was she a genie, to grant him his wishes?

"Oh, Skyler," he murmured. "You have no idea how much I love you."


	3. Christmas Gift

Hi, everyone! Seasons' greetings from LA Knight, devout lover of Christine's Dark Series. Anyway, for those of you who already know my Dimitri-Skyler one-shot series, I have a surprise for you. For those of you who haven't read Dark Gifts 1-3 and Dark Memories 1-4, you have some scrumptious reading ahead of you. I just can't stop writing about those two. Skyler's so awesome and talented, and Dimitri's so cute and lonely.

Anyway, my surprise.

Because my Skyler/Dimitri one-shots have been going so well, I've decided to do four more. Not four more one shots, but four more series. Well, 3 series and a stand-alone. Though I wonder, does anyone want me to expand the Dark Gifts series? I'm sure I could think of other stuff for Dimitri to give Skyler. And I could expand Dark Memories as well, if you guys want. I'm your slave- mostly.

So, for you who love my S-D 1-shots, look forward to:

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Dark Colors- Burgundy, Sienna, Honey, Hunter, Cobalt, Indigo, Nightshade (all of these are dark versions of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet)  
Dark December- a Christmas one-shot in honor of the season =)  
Dark Elements- Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light  
Dark Jewels- Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Amber, Diamond, Topaz, Amethyst, Pearl Garnet

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So, I hope you keep an eye out for these and I look forward to writing them and getting feedback from you guys. And one of the songs that inspires me, if you guys want to look it up on youtube, is "It's a Dangerous Game," from the musical Jekkyl&Hyde. It makes me think of the Carpathian men in general, but especially my fave pair.

Does anyone want to read stories about Jennifer and Tamara? Dayan and Gabriel's daughters? Just wondering. And maybe Ginny? She might not have obvious psychic ability, but I'm sensing untapped potential, since Colby and Ginny have the same mother. And anyone want me to write about Jasmine?

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PS - Anyone who wants to give me plot bunnies or challenges, feel free. =) Merry Christmas!


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